Tilly And The Wall: O

Tilly And the Wall may have the Omaha indie pedigree, their first single was recorded in Conor Oberst's garage, but they certainly don't share the introspective tendencies of their more famous brethren - Tilly And The Wall exude brazen optimism out of every track.

The succinctly named 'O' which is the band's third studio album careers through a path of simple, addictive pop which generally seems to stay the right side of saccharine despite plenty of opportunity to veer off track.

Pot Kettle Black is the closest in style to the band's early singles, reminiscent of Fell Down the Stairs and You And I Misbehaving, and, not coincidentally, is also one of the highlights of this new album. After that jaunty introduction to 'O' the band roll out a slightly less chaotic feel that spans the rest of the album, 'Cacophony' and 'I Found You' are good bellwethers for the style of 'O'.

Its hard to escape the fact that this album does seem to go weak in the middle section, the songs are not bad but are largely forgettable and it's not until track ten, 'Bloodflower' that we start to see songs that are genuinely inventive and noticeable.

Beat Control has been picking up a lot of radio play and, in a barely disguised attempt to boost the sales figures, has been shoehorned into this UK release. Where you stad on this decision will be influenced by how many times you've heard the track in the last month. It's not that Beat Control is a bad track, just that it feels a little polished and out of place on the album as a whole.

All considered 'O' can be considered a partial success, if you found the DIY style of the first albums a little too jarring then this album may prove to be more palatable, but as far as living up to the Omaha pedigree goes Tilly And The Wall still have further to go.